Leap Of Faith
by Fancy0122
Summary: Sami's plan for revenge against Kate takes an unexpected turn, with dire consequences. As she fights for survival, John, Bo and Hope fight to bring back their lost loved ones.
1. Default Chapter

Leap of Faith  
  
Kate was still talking excitedly, even after John had stopped the car. "So tell me again why you're going to this place with Bo and Hope. Tell me why you think Marlena and the others are still alive."  
  
John shook his head and laughed, "Kate, you gotta take a breath here and calm down."  
  
Kate looked at him, a serious expression on her face, "Hey, I'm perfectly calm for someone who just found out that the love of her life, the man she saw brutally murdered, might be alive." She looked down at her hands crossed nervously in her lap, "I really should be having a strong drink right now though. I'm shaking like a leaf."  
  
John reached over and put his hand over hers, "Hey, listen. I know this is a shock it was to me too. But between all of us, we'll find out if it's true or not."  
  
She turned to face her friend, tears falling freely down her cheeks, "That's just it. What if it's not true? What if this is all a plan by Stefano and this "lead" you are following is a well-planned trap, just a part of some huge plan? I mean, I want more than anything else to have it be true, to have Roman alive and here with me, but I'm terrified of even thinking that. If it isn't true and it was all a setup, it will be like losing him all over again, you know?"  
  
John nodded, wiping a tear from his eyes, "I hear ya, Kate. I've thought the same things, but I can't rest until I know for sure." Kate nodded, "So I'm gonna take that leap of faith and see where I land."  
  
Kate sniffed and wiped her eyes, "Ok. Um, look, let me just run in to the office to see if my cell is here. I wanted to check on some things for the Jergensen deal." She looked at her watch, "Things should be hopping in that part of the world by now, and I don't want to miss any messages."  
  
John shook his head; "I thought I told you to take it easy with the workload, Kate."  
  
She waved him off, "I know, I know, don't get all upset with me, I'm just checking the messages, and then going to bed." She held up her hand in Boy Scout fashion, "I promise."  
  
"Ok then, I'll hang here."  
  
"Be back in a few." She opened the car door and walked into the building that housed Basic Black.  
  
As she rode the elevator, she let her mind drift towards the possibility that John, Hope and Bo would be right, and what it would be like, that first moment she saw him, in the flesh, not as a ghostly apparition. She imagined rushing into his arms and kissing him so hard her lips would ache. "If this is all true," she said aloud to herself, "I'm never going to let him go...ever." The chime of the elevator brought her back to the present, and Kate stepped out, turning on a small lamp by the reception area. She walked towards her office and was surprised to find the door open. "That's strange, it's not the day the cleaning crew usually comes. Hello? Is anyone there?" She waited but got no answer and she called out again. Still nothing. "Oh well," she said to herself, "maybe I just left the door open and didn't notice it." She walked into her office and turned on the light. "Oh my God!" she gasped. The office was trashed, there were papers everywhere, the furniture was turned over, and her desk was cleared off. As she moved in further, she felt a hand clamp down over her mouth, and a hard, cool object jab at her neck. She froze.  
  
"Listen, lady, you do as I say, and you won't get hurt, but if you don't, well, let's say it won't be pretty." She nodded and he removed his hand from her mouth. "Good girl. Now take a step forward and keep your back to me."  
  
As Kate took a step, she tripped over the leg of the couch, and spun around, now facing her intruder. In one step, he swung at her with the butt of his weapon, and pushed her to the floor. He raised his gun and aimed it at her, as she tried to crawl away from him. Suddenly he felt a hard object pointed at his back. "If you want to live to see tomorrow, you'll drop that gun." The man didn't move. "I said drop the gun now or I'll just have to shoot you. See it doesn't matter to me, after all, you broke into my office and assaulted my employee so I'm totally justified here." John waited for his reply. The man put down the gun, but spun around and tried to knock John out of the way. John, however, was faster, and landed a solid jab to the man's midsection, and then one to his jaw. The second punch left him reeling and he stumbled backward and fell to the floor unconscious.  
  
John removed the man's weapon and searched him for others, and then tied him up. Once he was no longer a threat, he turned his attention to his friend.  
  
"Kate? Kate can you hear me? It's ok now, it's over." John walked around the overturned couch to find her unconscious, with an angry wound on her forehead. "Oh my god, Kate! Wake up! Kate?" He pulled out his cell phone, "This is John Black, I need uniforms and an ambulance to Basic Black asap." He turned to place a handkerchief over Kate's wound, "Hang on Kate, hang on."  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Lester Keys was tired, and annoyed. All he had to do was get a paper with this Kate Brady's signature on it, so she said. 'All I need is something I can scan, so I can use it for other documents. I'll get you in there, no problem, but you have to make it look like a robbery. Make it look, you know, like someone broke in here to rob the place. I'll pay you well, in return for your silence that is. If you get caught, I'll deny everything, and my uncle is the police commissioner, so he'll take my word over yours. So, do we have a deal?' And Lester had said yes. And now here he was trashing this office of a woman he didn't even know, all for a damned piece of paper. It wasn't that big of a deal to get the paper, but the office was huge, and the furniture heavy. He wasn't in the greatest shape, so lifting the stuff over was tiring. Just as he was about to leave, the elevator chime rang. "Who the hell is that?" he whispered, "she said no one would be here. Damn. Now what?" This little job had just gotten a whole lot bigger, and if he got out of this, it would be a whole lot costlier to little miss blondie. Lester waited behind the door, and removed his gun from the pocket. He was just as surprised as she was when she strode in the office and turned on the light. Lester had no choice but to get out of there without the woman seeing him, but that had backfired, and he'd been forced to take extreme measures. What Lester didn't count on was the other guy, and as he took the two punches and fell to the floor, he thought, 'Well, Blondie, you are gonna pay for this one."  
  
Lucas and Phillip paced around the ER, waiting for them to bring Kate in. Belle and Sami had just come back with some coffee when the ER doors opened and the paramedics brought Kate in on a stretcher, with John talking to her the whole time, trying to get her to wake up. Lexie came out and pulled John aside, as Lucas, Phillip and Belle approached them. "How is she?" asked Lucas.  
  
"Look, I'm going to see how she's doing, and I'll be out as soon as I know anything, ok?"  
  
The two men nodded, and Lucas turned to John, "What happened tonight?"  
  
John took a deep breath and relayed the story from his point of view. "I don't know what he hit her with, or if he hit her or she was pushed and hit her head. Either way, I didn't see her conscious at all after that." John shook his head, "I don't understand why though. There's nothing to steal there. And when I checked this guy, all he had was a receipt with Kate's signature on it. I don't know. I knocked him out pretty good, so when he comes to, he's got a lot of explaining to do."  
  
Phillip put a hand on John's shoulder, "Thanks for saving my mom's life tonight."  
  
Lucas nodded, "Yeah, but how did you know she was in trouble?"  
  
"I tried to call her while she was in there, since she promised she'd only be a minute, and I was afraid that she started to check on something and found a reason to stay and work. She lives there lately. And when I called, they said the line had been disconnected, so I got concerned." John rubbed his forehead, "I'm glad I tried to call. I tell you I just lost my wife, I'm not prepared to lose my friend." Belle went to her father and encircled him in a hug.  
  
"She's going to be alright, dad you'll see."  
  
Lexie came out of the trauma room, and Lucas and Phillip quickly approached her, "How is she? Did she wake up?"  
  
Lexie looked concerned, "Ok, here's the deal for now. Kate suffered a massive head injury, and right now, she's stable, but there's no telling for how long."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked John.  
  
"You said she didn't regain consciousness on the way here?"  
  
"Yeah, and I kept talking to her but nothing."  
  
"I won't lie to you, that's not a good sign. Her brain has been severely traumatized, and right now, it's swelled quite a lot. Now, that doesn't mean the swelling won't go down in a few days, but you should know there's a chance the swelling may not go down for a few weeks, maybe longer. It's too early to tell. The brain is very fragile, and reacts pretty harshly to injury. So, you shouldn't be alarmed at all if Kate has some complications while her brain is healing."  
  
Lucas asked, "What kind of complications?"  
  
"Once the swelling goes down, and I really believe that it will, in time, but she may experience some memory loss, or some mobility issues. With the part of the brain that is injured, who knows? It depends on what the brain shuts down to help repair the injury. We just have to wait and see. But it's extremely important that you talk to her, a lot. She'll be able to hear you, and the more you talk, the more she's going to want to get better. Look, I'd better get back in there, I'll let you know when we've moved her to a room." Lexie patted Lucas on the shoulder and returned to the trauma room, leaving all those in the room speechless. Especially Sami.  
  
While the others were listening intently to Kate's prognosis, Sami was recalling a part of John's conversation, 'And when I checked this guy, all he had was a receipt with Kate's signature on it. I don't know. I knocked him out pretty good, so when he comes to, he's got a lot of explaining to do'. Oh god, he was supposed to steal a piece of paper, not hurt anyone. The color drained from Sami's face as she thought to herself, 'what the hell was she doing there anyway? Dammit, and they're going to find out it was me, especially with that paper on Lester. Oh God, what have I done? If Lucas finds out, I'll never have a future with him. And Kate, as much as I hate her, I never wanted to hurt her. Oh Sami, you've gotten yourself into a huge mess this time."  
  
"Hey, Sami, you ok?" asked Lucas.  
  
"Oh, um, yeah, I was just listening about Kate."  
  
"You really care about her prognosis?" Lucas asked, surprised.  
  
"Ok, so I hate her, I would never want to see her hurt though, god I'm not that bad."  
  
Lucas just looked at her. "Look why don't you go home Will's going to need an explanation tomorrow, and I need you to be there for him. No matter what you think of my mom, Will loves her dearly, and he's already lost too many people he loves. He needs to know that my mom is gonna be okay, even if we don't know yet."  
  
Sami put her hand on his arm, "Are you sure? When are you going home?"  
  
"I need to see her first, let her know I'm there, then Phillip and I can figure out how to work shifts out so someone is always there with her. I don't know, don't expect me anytime soon, ok?"  
  
"Well, ok, call me if you need anything." She said, turning to leave.  
  
"Thanks, for offering." Lucas smiled at her and turned to join the rest of the group. 


	2. Leap of Faith Chapter 2

Leap of Faith – The REAL Chapter 2  
  
Bo and Hope entered the ER, and seeing Lexie, pulled her aside, "We got a call from John, How's Kate?" asked Bo.  
  
"She's stable for now. They just moved her into a room."  
  
"How bad are her injuries?" asked Hope.  
  
"She's had a major head trauma and hasn't regained consciousness yet." Said Lexis.  
  
"Oh, man," Bo rubbed his eyes, "She's already been through enough. Where are Lucas and Phillip?"  
  
"They're over there with John. I was just gong to tell them that Kate's been moved."  
  
Bo stopped her, "Be honest here Lex, what's her prognosis?"  
  
"I really don't know Bo. We need to wait for the swelling to go down. I can tell you this, the longer she's unconscious, the less likely she'll regain consciousness. Even after the swelling goes down, she's not out of the woods. She needs to regain consciousness, and the sooner the better."  
  
The three of them made their way over to where John, Phillip, Belle and Lucas were." Lexie, has she been moved?" asked Lucas.  
  
Yes, she's all settled in, but I'm only allowing one visitor at a time, and only for a few minutes. She needs to rest tonight. Lucas and Phillip, would one of you like to go in?"  
  
"Yeah, Lucas, you go first, you need to get home to Will." Said Phillip.  
  
"Ok," and Lucas left them to go see his mother.  
  
"Uh, Lexie, is it ok if I go in too, after Philip and Lucas of course?" asked John.  
  
"That's fine, but not for too long, ok?" said Lexie, "look, I've got rounds to do, I'll check on Kate in a bit." And she turned and walked down the hall.  
  
"Just want to make sure you see her with your own eyes, huh?" asked Phillip.  
  
"Yeah, and I'm leaving town tomorrow for a few days, and I don't want her to wonder where I am," said John.  
  
Philip smiled, "It's been great that you've been there for her lately. I mean I know that she's going through a rough time, and well, I really don't know how to help her. I guess it's hard when I don't really know what she's going through."  
  
"Well, unfortunately, I do, only too well, and so it's easier for her to talk about how she feels. I guess it's more comfortable with someone who is going through the same thing. So I don't just want to leave without letting her know where I am."  
  
Phillip looked drained, "Hey, c'mon and sit with me awhile," said Belle, "It's going to be ok, you'll see." Phillip nodded and went to sit with Belle.  
  
Hope and Bo approached John, "What do you want to do?"  
  
John sighed, "We should go. I mean, the best thing for her is if we can bring Roman back right?"  
  
"Right" said Bo.  
  
"So, I'll just let her know I'm going and that she needs to get better for him." Said John, "We need to know the truth, and the sooner the better, for all of us."  
  
Bo and Hope agreed, "Ok, we'll meet you at our house at daybreak."  
  
"You got it, night." Said John.  
  
"Night." Said Hope, squeezing John's arm, "Hang in there, she's strong, just remind her of why we're going." John smiled, "See you tomorrow."  
  
John walked towards the window, "And why I'm going. This lead had better be true. Doc has to be alive. She just has to be."  
  
"What did you say?" John turned to face his daughter, "Did you say mom's alive?"  
  
"Oh, Izzy B, I honestly don't know yet."  
  
"But how can this be? How can the possibility even be there? And why didn't you tell me?" she looked at him expectantly.  
  
John put his hands on her shoulders, "I didn't want to get your hopes up sweetheart. As it is now, I'm trying my damnedest not to get MY hopes up. Look, this could changes so many people's lives, but only if it's true and only if we find the victims and doc alive."  
  
Belle Nodded, "Ok, ok. So I'm guessing I need to keep this quiet, huh?" John nodded. Belle took a deep breath and let it out, "So, that's why you're leaving tomorrow, it's not really a business trip."  
  
"Nope."  
  
Belle looked over towards Phillip, "Does Kate know?"  
  
"Yeah, I couldn't keep it from her really. I couldn't pass this off as a business trip with her; after all she runs the company. Anyway, I'm glad I told her. I hope it helps her fight her way back. There's still the matter of how she got here and why, but that will have to wait until we get back. Hopefully, I won't be alone."  
  
"I'll keep my fingers crossed. Just do me one favor will you?" asked Belle.  
  
"Sure, sweetheart." Said John.  
  
"Come back safe, and bring mom."  
  
John hugged his daughter tight, "That's the plan kiddo, that's the plan." 


	3. Leap of Faith Chapter 3

The door to Kate's room opened and Lucas came out. He looked worried, very worried. Phillip went over to him, "How is she?"  
  
Lucas looked at his brother, "She's so damned pale," he shook his head, "Man, if you didn't know it, you could swear she was sleeping. That is until you see the bandage on her head. But she's just, there. It's spooky. She's just there."  
  
Phillip put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "C'mon, have a seat and take it easy. She'll get through this, Lucas."  
  
Lucas nodded, "I sure hope so." He looked at his watch. "Oh, man, it's late. I should be home for Will in the morning." He looked over at Kate's room, "I just don't want to leave her. What if she wakes up?"  
  
"Don't sweat it. I'm gonna go in and then John, and we need to let her take it easy then, just like Lexie said. We can figure out what to do in the morning, after we've all slept, ok?"  
  
Lucas nodded, "Yeah, ok." He got up, "I'll talk to you first thing then."  
  
"You got it," said Phillip, and Lucas headed home.  
  
Phillip turned to Belle and John, "I'm gonna go in." They nodded and Phillip turned to enter Kate's room.  
  
Belle turned her attention back to her father, "So, when will you be back, you think?"  
  
John sighed, "Hopefully, we go and find out that this whole year has just been someone's idea of a cruel joke, and we find everyone safe and sound. And then we bring them home. I don't know how long that'll be." Belle nodded, "If this lead is true, and it HAS to be, then we need to get everyone back here asap. Roman especially."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Belle.  
  
"I've got a bad feeling about Kate. Part of her died when Roman died. She doesn't feel like she's got much to hang around for. If Roman's alive, then she'll fight to get back to him. If he isn't, I don't know if she'll even bother trying to wake up."  
  
"God, you really think so?" asked Belle.  
  
"The only thing Kate feels she has left is her kids and her job. She works til all hours, Belle. She practically lives at Basic Black. And as far as Lucas and Phillip are concerned, she wants them to be happy, but she's gotten extremely pushy when it comes to that. I think that's because she feels she has nothing else to focus on. So, ultimately, whether or not Roman and the others are alive could be the difference between Kate waking up or not."  
  
Phillip came out of the room, looking just as bad as his brother. He took a deep breath, blew it out and closed his eyes, shaking his head. Belle went over to him and gave him a hug. "Are you ok?"  
  
"I don't know." he responded, "I talked to her, I squeezed her hand. I tried to get her mad at me, I even told her Lucas and Sami were getting closer just to get her going, but nothing worked, not a damned thing. God, she can't stay like this, she just can't."  
  
"Izzy B, why don't you take Phillip home. I'll go sit with Kate for awhile. Let her know I'll be gone and what's up with the trip. I'm ready to go for tomorrow so I can stay til they kick me out. Go get some rest." said John.  
  
Phillip shook John's hand, "Thanks again for coming to her rescue. And thanks for being her friend."  
  
John smiled, "C'mon now, it's not all selfless you know. She's been a good friend to me too. There are no pretenses, just two friends who know exactly what the other is going through. It helps a lot actually."  
  
"Well, I'm glad you two have gotten to be good friends, just like me and Belle. And you're right, it's so much better when you know that person is there for you. Lightens the burden a little bit."  
  
"Ok, then, off you two go. Try and get some sleep. I'll go in now." and as he kissed Belle she whispered in his ear, "Good luck."  
  
John opened the door to Kate's room. It was quiet except for the sound of the medicine pump and the monitors keeping a close eye on Kate's vitals. He was taken aback by her appearance. Phillip and Lucas were right, she was as white as a ghost and so still. He sat in the chair next to her bed and took her hand, careful not to disturb the wires and tubes. "Hey there Kate, it's John. You know, when I told you to lighten your workload you could've just taken some vacation time." There was no response. "Alright, it wasn't that funny, I know." His tone turned serious. "You have to wake up Kate. Lucas and Phillip are worried sick, and so am I." He waited for some sign of recognition, but she didn't move a muscle. "I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving with Bo and Hope tomorrow to see if we can find proof that Doc and Roman and the others are alive. So, as much as I don't want to leave you like this, bringing Roman back to you would be the best medicine in the world, and the best reason for you to wake up. So, that will be your job while I'm gone. You wake up. Fight your way back to Roman, you hear me, and the rest, how you ended up here, we'll deal with when you're better." He kissed the back of her hand. "C'mon Kate, you're a fighter, fight this. I KNOW they are alive, I can feel it. Look, even if this is all nothing, you need to get better. I'm not prepared to lose my friend, so no copping out here." He put her hand back down on the bed, "I'm just gonna sit here with you for awhile and keep you company." He leaned back into the chair and closed his eyes, dreaming of the first moment he would see her, and she would run into his arms and he would kiss her so hard his lips would ache. "I'll never let her go, never." 


	4. Leap of Faith Chapter 4

The next week seemed to fly by. One minute John, Bo and Hope were making their way to this island, the next they were standing face to face with all of the victims, and Marlena. Their first moment had been just as he had hoped: at first, they just stared at each other, trying to figure out if they were dreaming, but in a blink of an eye she was in his arms, and he was kissing her and holding her. They were both crying openly, and it was a long time before they broke the embrace to just look at each other, each making sure the other was alright.  
  
With the force field disabled, they were able to get everyone out and onto the plane for the ride back home to real Salem. And as they sat side by side on the plane, Marlena noticed John staring at Roman.  
  
"Hey, what is it?" she asked.  
  
John blew out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "There's something I need to tell Roman before we get home. You should know too."  
  
"You're scaring me, what do we need to know?" asked Marlena, growing more concerned.  
  
John held up a finger, "Roman?" he asked, "Can you come over here a minute?"  
  
Roman rose from his seat to sit across from John and Marlena. "What's up? I didn't want to disturb the happy couple."  
  
"John has something he says we need to know before we get home." said Marlena.  
  
"Is this about Sami and Kate?" Roman asked, "They're at it again aren't they? Ok, who did what to whom?"  
  
John looked Roman square in the eyes, "This isn't about Sami, but it is about Kate." He took a deep breath, "Ok, there's no easy way to lead into this, so here goes. Right before I left to find you, I had convinced Kate to go to a fundraiser with me. To just get her out and forget about how miserable we both were, so we went. Just as I was about to take her home, she realized she'd forgotten her cell phone on her desk at the office, and she asked if I would stop off there and she'd run in and get it."  
  
"Okay," said Roman.  
  
"So, I stayed in the car, and she went in. After 5 minutes, I called the office, sure that she'd found something else to keep her there again, and that she'd want me to leave her there. But, when I called the operator said the phone had been disconnected. I got concerned and went inside."  
  
"What happened?" asked Marlena.  
  
"I got up there in time to see some thug taking aim at Kate, as she struggled to crawl away."  
  
"Oh my God!!" said Roman, "Is she alright?"  
  
"The guy attacked me, and I punched his lights out. I called out for Kate, but she didn't answer. When I went around the couch I saw her on the floor unconscious, and bleeding pretty badly from a wound on her forehead."  
  
"Jesus, but, she's ok now? Right?" asked Roman.  
  
"She's in a coma now. She hasn't responded to anyone. She doesn't even take any Sami and Lucas bait."  
  
Roman put his head in his hands, "Please, please tell me she'll wake up, John. What's her prognosis? "  
  
"Lexie says that right now, she's suffered a severe head trauma, and her brain has swelled, but that the swelling should go down. It might be a week or a month, she doesn't know. It just depends on how her brain heals. "He ran his hand through his hair, as Marlena closed her eyes, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I won't lie to you Roman, the longer she's unconscious, the greater chance she'll stay that way. But she knows that I came looking for you. I told her she needed to hold on, and fight her way back to you. I honestly think that you are probably the only thing that will bring her out of this. She doesn't feel like she's got a lot to wake up for without you."  
  
Roman wiped a tear from his eye, "I know how she feels. Knowing I'd somehow find my way back to her is what's kept me sane here all this time. She's gotta get better, we've got a second chance here, and I'm gonna make her see that we can't waste it."  
  
John smiled, "She's gonna be a whole lot better once she sees you. I know I am now that I've got this one next to me." He looked at Marlena, "You know, I'm never going to let you go."  
  
She snuggled up to his shoulder, "I'll hold you to that."  
  
And the whole plane fell into silence. Everyone's lives were about to change again, some for the better, some for the worse, but either way they would be home, and that's where they needed to be. How they all got there and why would have to wait. Right now, everyone had their own hopes and dreams to fulfill, and for Roman, those hopes and dreams rested on whether or not he would see Kate smile and look at him again. "Oh, Katie," he thought to himself, "You have to wake up, I'm gonna help you every way I can. And then, I'm gonna kill the bastard that did this to you. Just hang on Katie, just hang on , I'm coming home." 


	5. Leap of Faith Chapter 5

As they walked into the hospital, Marlena and Roman noticed the large amount of staring they received. No one said a word, they just stared as the two walked past. Marlena whispered to John, "Ok, I know I'm not a serial killer, but THEY don't. I don't like this one bit."  
  
John grasped her hand, "Don't worry, Bo is clearing all that up right now at the Salem PD. By tomorrow night, it'll be ok, you'll see."  
  
She squeezed his hand back, as Roman stopped. "Room 312, right John?" John nodded. Roman took a deep breath and let it out.  
  
Marlena reached out to touch his shoulder, "You want us to come in?"  
  
Roman shook his head, "No. I'm ok. I'm just wondering about Sami. We need to call her, and I want to see her but I need to be here with Kate right now, and given their history and god knows what else has happened between them since we've been gone, I don't want a scene here."  
  
Marlena nodded, "Look, I'll go call her now and tell her what little we know, and that we're both alive and well, and then, I'll tell her to come down here. That way you can get some time alone with Kate before Sami gets here."  
  
Roman nodded his head, "Ok." He put his hands on his hips and closed his eyes, "God let her wake up, please. I can't lose her now." and he opened the door to Kate's room.  
  
Phillip turned around and his jaw fell, "Oh my God!!! Roman?! You're alive! But how? I mean forget about how, god am I glad you're here." He turned back to Kate, "Mom, mom, Roman is here, he's alive, c'mon Mom you gotta wake up now!" Both men waited, but there was still no response.  
  
Roman swallowed hard, "How long?" he whispered, his eyes transfixed on his wife, "How long has she been like this?"  
  
Phillip walked over to him, "A little over a week. Lexie says the swelling in her brain is going down, but she has to wake up on her own. Basically it's all up to Mom now." He turned and looked at his mother, "Talk to her Roman, we've all tried. She has to wake up, and soon, and you might be the only one she'll wake up for."  
  
Roman put a hand on Phillip's shoulder, "I know. She's gonna wake up. She's not getting off that easy. Listen do me a favor will ya? Give me a heads up when Sami's on her way here. I don't know what's been goin on between the two of them while I've been gone, but I don't want her upsetting Kate to the point that she doesn't wake up because Sami's here."  
  
"You've got it. Good luck and welcome back," said Phillip, and he closed the door behind him.  
  
Roman just stared at her. She was so pale, so still. She looked so fragile. 'Now that's not a word I would use to describe Kate.' he thought, "strong, stubborn, pig headed, yes, but definitely not fragile.' He moved to sit on the bed next to her, taking her hand in his and kissing it. "Katie? Hey there bracelets, it's me, it's Roman." He waited for a response, a movement, something, but there was nothing except the sound of the monitors and medicine pumps. He closed his eyes and shook his head, "This is not the way it was supposed to be, Kate. In my dreams, you were falling into my arms and I was kissing you. You were vibrant, alive and beautiful. And we had forever to look forward to again." He moved a stray hair from her face and caressed her cheek, blinking back tears, "You need to wake up Kate. I need you to wake up. God, all this time I thought I had it rough, ya know, knowing that you were in so much pain and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I couldn't contact you and let you know that I was ok. But I had an advantage, I knew you were alive. But you, you thought you lost me forever. You didn't know I was ok." He sighed, "I knew your idea of grieving would be to work yourself to death. I never thought that would do you too much harm, I never thought it would lead to this." He stared at her, willing her to open her eyes. "Wake up Kate." No response. His voice was starting to take on the tones of the frustration he was feeling. He truly thought that just knowing he was alive would be enough to bring her back and now he was frustrated and desperate. "Dammit Kate," his voice rose, "don't do this, WAKE UP!" He couldn't hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall any longer. He lowered his chin on his chest and tried to compose himself. He didn't notice that his tears were falling on Kate's hand as he held it between his own. What he did notice, was a slight movement in her hand. He looked up at her and called her name, "Kate? Kate? C'mon honey, I felt that, don't give up, do it again." Suddenly an alarm went off, and Lexie came in, followed by John and Marlena.  
  
"Roman!! Your...uh...oh, Kate," she checked the monitor and turned off the alarm.  
  
"Is she alright?" asked Roman nervously.  
  
"She's more than alright, Her heart rate is up, that's the first fluctuation we've had since she was brought in. Did you get a response from her at all?" asked Lexie.  
  
"Yeah, I think she moved her hand." said Roman  
  
"You're reaching her, Roman. Whatever you're doing just keep doing it, don't stop now." said Lexie.  
  
Roman turned back to Kate, "C'mon Kate, you hear that, Lexie said that was a good thing, do it again, c'mon Kate, show me you heard me." After a while, she squeezed his hand again, this time a little harder. "That's it Katie, that's it." It seemed that his encouragement was all she needed. Soon she started to moan and turn her head, and Roman got close to her face and whispered, "C'mon Katie, look at me, open your eyes." Slowly Kate's eyes began to flutter and lazily try to open, "That's it, keep it up, you can do it, come back to me."  
  
As she opened her eyes, she looked only at Roman, "Roman," she whispered hoarsely, tears falling down her cheeks, "you're here. You're really here?"  
  
Roman smiled, tears falling down his cheeks as well, "I'm here, and I'm not goin anywhere. God I've missed you." he leaned in and kissed her gently.  
  
She raised a shaky hand up to touch his face. She traced his eyes, his nose, his lips, drinking it all in as if she needed to reaffirm her memory of him, "I thought you were dead. How can you be alive after..." she closed her eyes and shook her head.  
  
"What is it?" Roman asked.  
  
She was crying now, "I found your body, Roman, at the reception, I found you. There was so much blood, and you wouldn't wake up..."  
  
Roman gently pulled her close to him, "Oh god, Kate, I'm so sorry. Dammit! whoever's behind this, I'll make them pay for putting you through that."  
  
She pulled back, resting her hands on his chest, and whispered, "Promise me."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"Promise me you won't leave me again. I can't go through that again. I couldn't handle it the first time. I didn't want to do anything, I couldn't go to our house. I kept trying but I couldn't run from the memories. The only thing I could do was work. I couldn't think about missing you if my mind was busy at work. So I worked constantly...I don't ever want to feel that way again." She was shaking a little and he leaned in and kissed her. Then he wiped the tears from her cheeks, "There's no way in hell that I'll ever leave you again, Kate. My future is staring back at me through those beautiful brown eyes, and I'm not about to mess with that. We've got a second chance here. We made it."  
  
She smiled at him with a tired smile, but it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "Hey, you need to rest," he said, "besides, I need to see if Sami has gotten here yet. Marlena called her and Phillip is giving me a heads up so she doesn't upset you."  
  
Kate looked nervous, and a little scared, "You're coming right back though, right? No police work, you're coming back?"  
  
"Hey, listen to me. We don't know everything about what happened or why, but we'll find out. Know this, I'm NOT leaving you again. Ever." He kissed her gently, and Phillip knocked on the window, smiling from ear to ear. Roman motioned for him to come in, "Mom, you're awake! God that is wonderful." He went over to her and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. Oh, Roman, the heads up, Sami's on her way up the elevator."  
  
"Ok, Marlena, why don't I talk to her first, get all her questions out of the way, and then I'll come get you." said Roman.  
  
"That's fine, that will give me some time with Kate. If she'll talk to me that is?" asked Marlena hesitantly.  
  
Kate looked over at John, who was grinning from ear to ear, "Sure, but John stays too."  
  
Marlena looked over at John, "Of course."  
  
Roman kissed her again, "Marlena and John will explain everything that we know to you. And one more thing. The others, they are all alive, including Cassie."  
  
Kate gasped, "Everyone?" Roman nodded. "So Marlena didn't kill anyone?" Roman, John and Marlena nodded. She looked back at Roman "And Cassie's still alive?" Again, Roman nodded. She closed her eyes and put her head back on the pillow, "There is an explanation for this right?" he nodded, "I am just glad that there is a way to explain this. I was having a hell of a time accepting that one of my closest friends killed all of those people, including my husband." She took a deep breath and blew it out, "Oh boy I could use a drink right now."  
  
John looked around, "Will water do?" She nodded, "I'll get some." He poured her a glass and handed it to her, "Can you get that ok?" She nodded and took a long sip. "Better?"  
  
Kate nodded, "Yes, thank you. Ok, well, Roman I guess you should go see Sami. I'll catch up with these two over here." He leaned over and kissed her. "I'll be back in a few."  
  
"You'd better be," she said playfully, "I'm counting on it."  
  
Roman smiled, "I'll be back." and he turned towards the door.  
  
Kate looked at John and Marlena, "Ok you two, start talking." So John and Marlena filled Kate in on everything they knew about the island, the mastermind, and the serial killings themselves. When they were through, Kate just shook her head, "But everyone's all right?" she asked.  
  
"Yup, every last one of them. And by now, they should be home." said John.  
  
Marlena looked at Kate, "I want to apologize to you, no matter who did this or why, I put you through so much pain. I know it's a lot, but I would like us to be able to someday get our friendship back."  
  
"Come sit," she said, motioning for Marlena to sit on the bed beside her.  
  
Marlena approached her and cautiously sat down.  
  
Kate looked down at her hands, "When John came to me to tell me he thought you were the killer, I had no intention of accepting that. Neither did he. There was no way either of us was about to accept that as truth. Not with the Marlena we knew and loved." Kate looked Marlena in the eyes, "But after your 'confession', I didn't really have a choice but to accept it, no matter how painful it was. And when you blamed me for driving you to it, well, I just wanted to run and never come back. Not only did I lose my husband, but I was betrayed by my friend. It was like losing two people at once. I wanted to talk to you and seek comfort in you, my friend, for the death of my husband, but you were the reason he was gone." She whispered, "I was left with nothing."  
  
"Kate, I...."  
  
"Hey hey," said Kate, reaching for Marlena's hand, "You are a victim here too, ok. It won't be difficult for me to throw that horrible time out the window, and welcome you back. I miss my friend, I want her back." she wiped the tears from her cheeks.  
  
Marlena let out the breath she was holding, "Please let me say this, ok?" Kate nodded, "I will not be able to ever forget what happened in the past year. I caused so much pain to the people I loved. And whether or not I was aware of what I was doing or not, I still was responsible. So I'm sorry, so very sorry that you had to go through anything so horrible. Please, I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me." Marlena looked down at her hand, and Kate gave it a squeeze.  
  
"Look at me, Marlena" Marlena raised her chin to look at her friend, "You're forgiven. I've got my husband back, and my friend, and I've got a wonderful new one in the process." She looked over at John, "He has been wonderful through all of this. He's let me cry, yell, whatever, he's been my rock and kept me sane. We both needed that. Someone who understood the misery the other was going through. It helped a lot. Thank you John."  
  
John moved to stand behind his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders, "Well, you have been great too, don't forget that. You know what she did?"  
  
"What?"asked Marlena.  
  
"One night at the Blue Note she thought this woman was taking advantage of my 'mental state' and told her off. It was Nicole's "buddy"Crystal and I was looking for info on your "death", but Kate didn't know that."  
  
Marlena looked at Kate and Kate smiled, "Got me so mad. I got a drink dumped on me for that."  
  
John looked at Marlena, "The WOMAN threw the drink at Kate, I DIDN'T." he said smiling.  
  
Marlena looked at Kate smiling, "Protecting my husband's honor were we?"  
  
"Well, you weren't gone that long and already she had her claws in him. I just set her straight, and got doused in the process. Seriously though, I'm just glad that you found Roman and Marlena, and the others." Kate took John's hand, tears in her eyes, "Well, friend, it seems we are finally having a good day huh?"  
  
John squeezed her hand, "Let's see, we have the loves of our lives back, everyone else is safe, and YOU, you woke up. We were pretty worried there, Kate." He looked at Marlena and then at Kate, "So, yeah, I'd say we've finally gotten a good day." 


	6. Leap of Faith Chapter 7

Leap of Faith - Chapter 7 Going home to start again.  
  
Kate shifted and woke up, expecting to see Roman beside her. When she didn't she shot up in bed, "Roman? Roman? Oh god, it was a dream." She pulled her knees to her chest, crying, "It was only a dream."  
  
Roman came charging out of the bathroom, "Kate?" He went to her curled up form and wrapped his arms around her, "Hey, Kate, I'm here, I'm right here."  
  
She brought her face up to meet his and threw her arms around him. "I woke up and you weren't there, and I thought, I thought I had dreamed it all, you being alive, and here with me. Just hold me, just hold me."  
  
Roman smoothed her hair and whispered to her, "I told you I'll never leave you again, Kate. Shh, honey it's ok. You don't need to be afraid."  
  
She pulled back from his embrace and looked at him, "I'm sorry, it's just, I think it's just going to take a little while before I can feel secure, knowing you'll be there. Knowing all this is real. I've spent so much time trying to just exist, trying to brace myself when I go to sleep."  
  
Roman tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "You had trouble sleeping?"  
  
Kate sighed, "I didn't sleep. I tried everything I could NOT to sleep."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because sleeping meant dreaming, and the dream was always the same. We were at our wedding, and we exchanged our vows, and we talked on the veranda, and you left..."  
  
"And you found me, apparently viciously murdered."  
  
She nodded, "Yes. And I would wake up crying and never be able to get back to sleep." She wiped the tears from her cheeks, "So I worked until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. That way, I would be so physically exhausted that I had no choice but to sleep, and then I had a better chance NOT to dream."  
  
"Oh, Kate, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that." He caressed her cheek, "I knew you were probably working yourself too hard. That's how you deal with things, you just throw yourself into somethin else so you don't have to feel anything."  
  
She smiled, "Well, no more of that. I think I need to take some time off, I've got it coming after all. You think my boss will give me some time?"  
  
"If not, I'll just have to talk to her." Kate laughed and the sound made him smile. "I've missed that."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Seeing you smile, hearing you laugh." He got off the bed and pulled back the sheet, "Now, Mrs.Brady, in you go."  
  
"Ok, Mr. Brady, if you insist." Kate slid under the covers, and Roman squeezed in next to her, nuzzling her ear, "Guess what?" he whispered.  
  
"What?" she whispered back.  
  
"I think we need you to get better asap because the idea of being here with you and NOT ravishing you is just killin me."  
  
She got a sly look on her face, "Oh really. Is that right Mr. Brady? Well, we'll just need to get those doctors to get me outta here tomorrow huh?"  
  
He leaned over and kissed her, "Seriously though, when your doctors say your ok to go home, you go, and not a minute sooner, ok?" She nodded, "We have a lot to make up for and I need you to be physically fit for it." He kissed her again.  
  
"And what do you have in mind?" she asked seductively.  
  
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it." said Roman laughing, "Now go back to sleep."  
  
The next few days couldn't have gone by slower for Kate. She was told she needed to be observed for a day or two and she had to have some tests done to check for any permanent damage from her injuries. Kate protested, but Roman insisted she needed to listen to the doctors. She had no choice but to admit defeat.  
  
Finally, it was time to go home, and Kate got dressed and waited for Roman to check on her discharge papers. There was a knock on the door.  
  
"Come in," said Kate.  
  
"Hey beautiful," said Roman enveloping her in a huge hug.  
  
"Hey there yourself," she said and she kissed him playfully. "Please tell me I can leave this place." she looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Katie, I've come to take you home." She squealed with delight and she kissed him again.  
  
"Those are the most beautiful words in the world right now. So, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"  
  
"Your wish is my command," he held out his hand and she took it, intertwining her fingers with his.  
  
She looked at him with moist eyes, "Let's go home."  
  
FINAL CHAPTER......Homecoming....and a honeymoon.... 


End file.
